You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them on time (no later than Friday, October 13). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
This play takes place in 1943 June, 3 in the city of Los Angeles, California where a gang called the 38th street gang are dancing and dressed in the Pachuco/Pachucha style clothing. The gang is lead by the lead character Henry Reynas. He has an odd alter ego named El Pachuco, who has a bit of an off kilter swagger.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion in this play occurs at the hands of the police, when they bust up a party and arrest the gang members for the Sleepy Lagoon murders.
3. Why do the eveents of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The play takes place in the WWII era, in order to portray the tension during those times especially when it comes to the distinctions between race. During this period, the prejudices between whites and Hispanics were very high. Many of the gangs and people who wore the "Zoot suits" were stereotyped and often the subject of abuse.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.)
Will the 38th street gang members ever get justice?
Will the "Zoot Suit" stereotype ever die?
Will the Hispanic culture ever not be the subject of attack?
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
The central aspects of this play are its struggle against society, more specifically its oppression towards Henry and his appearance. This oppression is one of the reason he was arrested, and why he is constantly being worked against by society. Another aspect of his conflict is that which is within himself, he struggles with his own self-confidence which is seen through his manifestation of his ideal perception of himself through El Pachuco. His struggles with other people are seen through his uneasy relationships with others. His inability to trust George, and the conflict with Rafas.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
One of the most theatrical moments is when almost the entire 38th street gang is arrested, as this is a major attention grabber, seeing all those people being thrown into cuffs. Another theatrical scene is the portrayal of the Zoot Suit riots, which really makes the audience think hard about the racial injustices that were common place on those times. The interrogation scenes were also very powerful in their attention grabbing.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The image of the alter ego of Henry emerging from the newspaper invoked powerful images. The powerful statement and the elaborate clothing of El Pachuco make a loud statement. The image of the rugged and dirty, makeshift jail dulls the surrounding and places the attention onto the struggles of the boys in the play. The image of the Zoot suit plays a powerful connotation to the cultural significance to the Hispanic individuals. When the characters are stripped of this culturally significant clothing it is often humiliating to ,them which only adds to the meaning of the Zoot Suit riots. The image of the ripped up newspapers, and confetti, was quite often seen, and this was perhaps an observance of the triumph over the stereotype of the Zoot Suit.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
Racism. Discrimination. Injustice. Hispanic Culture. These themes are very prevalent within the play, especially as it deals with the Zoot Suit riots, and the unjust arrests of the 38th street gangs arrest for the murder at Sleepy Lagoon.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
I'd say the connections between the 38th gang members, who are very close. The connection between Henry and his girlfriend is also a very strong relationship, even if it had some bumps in it.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
This play takes place in 1943 June, 3 in the city of Los Angeles, California where a gang called the 38th street gang are dancing and dressed in the Pachuco/Pachucha style clothing. The gang is lead by the lead character Henry Reynas. He has an odd alter ego named El Pachuco, who has a bit of an off kilter swagger.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion in this play occurs at the hands of the police, when they bust up a party and arrest the gang members for the Sleepy Lagoon murders.
3. Why do the eveents of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The play takes place in the WWII era, in order to portray the tension during those times especially when it comes to the distinctions between race. During this period, the prejudices between whites and Hispanics were very high. Many of the gangs and people who wore the "Zoot suits" were stereotyped and often the subject of abuse.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.)
Will the 38th street gang members ever get justice?
Will the "Zoot Suit" stereotype ever die?
Will the Hispanic culture ever not be the subject of attack?
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
The central aspects of this play are its struggle against society, more specifically its oppression towards Henry and his appearance. This oppression is one of the reason he was arrested, and why he is constantly being worked against by society. Another aspect of his conflict is that which is within himself, he struggles with his own self-confidence which is seen through his manifestation of his ideal perception of himself through El Pachuco. His struggles with other people are seen through his uneasy relationships with others. His inability to trust George, and the conflict with Rafas.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
One of the most theatrical moments is when almost the entire 38th street gang is arrested, as this is a major attention grabber, seeing all those people being thrown into cuffs. Another theatrical scene is the portrayal of the Zoot Suit riots, which really makes the audience think hard about the racial injustices that were common place on those times. The interrogation scenes were also very powerful in their attention grabbing.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The image of the alter ego of Henry emerging from the newspaper invoked powerful images. The powerful statement and the elaborate clothing of El Pachuco make a loud statement. The image of the rugged and dirty, makeshift jail dulls the surrounding and places the attention onto the struggles of the boys in the play. The image of the Zoot suit plays a powerful connotation to the cultural significance to the Hispanic individuals. When the characters are stripped of this culturally significant clothing it is often humiliating to ,them which only adds to the meaning of the Zoot Suit riots. The image of the ripped up newspapers, and confetti, was quite often seen, and this was perhaps an observance of the triumph over the stereotype of the Zoot Suit.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
Racism. Discrimination. Injustice. Hispanic Culture. These themes are very prevalent within the play, especially as it deals with the Zoot Suit riots, and the unjust arrests of the 38th street gangs arrest for the murder at Sleepy Lagoon.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
I'd say the connections between the 38th gang members, who are very close. The connection between Henry and his girlfriend is also a very strong relationship, even if it had some bumps in it.